Rajoy said the independence referendum only served to sow divisions, according to the Associated Press.

He also thanked the Spanish police, saying they acted with “firmness and serenity” in response to the referendum.

At nightfall, some Catalans took to the streets to sing their anthem, “The Reapers” or “Els Segadors” in Catalan.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont had stated that the region had won the right to statehood.

“With this day of hope and suffering, the citizens of Catalonia have won the right to an independent state in the form a republic,” Puigdemont stated in a televised address.

Puigdemont continued by claiming the legitimacy of the referendum:

“My government, in the next few days will send the results of today’s vote to the Catalan parliament, where the sovereignty of our people lies, so that it can act in accordance with the law of the referendum.”

Although Spain had adamantly attempted to suspend the vote, regional leaders in Catalonia went along with the vote.

There is no word from the Spanish government when or whether they plan to allow another referendum in Catalonia